Trump boosts US‑India defense ties with F‑35 jet deal
Donald Trump announced that the United States will significantly increase military equipment sales to India and pave the way for a contract regarding F-35 fighter jets for the country. India is the largest arms importer in the world, which for years has relied on Russia for its armaments and was recently considered a potential buyer of Su-57 fighters.
The announcement occurred at the White House, where on Thursday, February 13, the US President met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F35, Stealth fighters," said Donald Trump.
Donald Trump promises F-35 for India?
Interestingly, it was in India, at the Aero India 2025 show, that the first "meeting" of the F-35 fighter with the Russian Su-57 occurred. Moscow has been proposing this aircraft to many countries for years, including India, which after initial interest decided to withdraw from the idea of acquiring the Su-57. Ultimately, the first foreign user of these fighters will be Algeria, but there was speculation that during Aero India 2025, the Russian delegation would make another offer to India.
Donald Trump stated that he has fantastic relations with Prime Minister Modi, and that India was treated very poorly by Joe Biden. Although India is the largest buyer of Russian arms and a member of BRICS, the American president is not afraid of strong words. Recent decisions made by the Indian authorities may support this, confirming that closer ties with the West are increasingly desirable. India is slowly shifting away from Russian weapons and focusing on its own industry or contracts with France (Rafale aircraft), Germany (joint construction of submarines), or the United States. From the latter, India seeks, among other things, permission to produce Stryker armored vehicles domestically.
Donald Trump fights for a big market
"If the US is willing to offer (as per Trump), one school of thought is that IAF should acquire two squadrons of F-35A," was assessed in a publication on The Eurasian Times portal.
The F-35A is one of three main variants of this American fighter—a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft. It is a fifth-generation fighter, crafted with stealth technology (low observability). This is precisely what the Indian armed forces are interested in, as uncertainties regarding stealth technology led to the resignation from the Russian Su-57, which, contrary to announcements, may have trouble evading radars.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, over the past two decades, Russia accounted for about 65% of the weapons acquired by the Indian army, earning about $60 billion from these sales. It is estimated that in the coming decade, India could spend up to $100 billion on further military equipment orders.
